Rebirth
by The Solar Surfer
Summary: A girl from Earth discovers that her fate lies elsewhere: In a civil war that is tearing up the galaxy in desperate need of her help. Can she, with powers she never knew she had? Will she survive the war? Will she become the hero they need her to be?
1. Return

**Another FanFic I've written, this time for Star Wars. I don't know how many times I've redone this, but I think I'm going to do it again. Sigh. I don't know if I want to post the entire story or not - I won't if I don't think its good enough. Message me if you have input. Read and Review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my own character (who has not yet shown her face).**

**P.S. This is a Girl from present day Earth going into an extremely AU Star Wars universe (at least, I've seriously altered its history, which is kind of the point of the story). If this isn't your style, stop reading NOW.**

1

RETURN

Peace. Serenity. Bliss. Silence.

He meditated in the quiet room, sitting cross-legged on a cushion, his hands on his knees, breathing deeply, erasing all stress and emotion.

It was that time of day when he could feel one with himself, one with everything. A time where he could escape and understand the true meaning of it all, and sense what was to come.

He was very old. Older than one might assume. Moreover, with age came wisdom, and with wisdom came respect and guidance. He was revered as the greatest of his kind. He accepted fate for what it was, but never stopped trying to keep the peace. He could, as some younger ones would call it, "deal" with information he received.

He could handle it. He knew what to do, how to do it, and when.

But as he languished on that cushion, an uncommon frown lined his wrinkled face.

"Grave news, this is." He murmured to himself. "How rare, this is."

He almost chuckled to himself. "And so predictable of you, Qui-Gon. To choose another form, for you. But why, Qui-Gon? An innocent soul, you have chosen. Why? "

A sensation traveled up his short spine.

"No... Deserve this, the reincarnation does not."

He spoke of an old, old law written when he was much, much younger. In fact, it was he who brought it about. For the sake of the young individuals, the rule befell.

The law stated, as it always had (these kinds of rules offered no amendments whatsoever), that the reincarnation cycle must cease, to prevent anymore unfortunate fates to the unknowing choice (as in, the reincarnation him or herself).

This was set in because, of course, the fates that all reincarnations faced. Born into the world, already a part of something they couldn't even possibly imagine. Brought up as an unwary soul, clueless to the strange acuteness of their abilities. Either found by allies who wish to help them, or enemies who wish to destroy them.

The reincarnation always held a part of the universe's fate on their shoulders. Moreover, as much good or bad they did to it; they always changed it, and always came to a sad end.

Therefore, that is why Yoda had decided to put an end to it.

However, rules, as _some_ believed, where always meant to be broken.

Yoda could not shake the feeling that one of his allies had just sealed the terrible fate of a poor young individual.

At least, that was what he thought.

What he didn't realize, until much later, was that this was no ordinary soul. Without already having a previous life, this reincarnation was different. Unique, they might say. A mindset that varied from the norm.

He frowned.

"Why, Qui-Gon? Why her?"

Yoda had at least hoped that Qui-Gon would have the decency to pick someone who was relatively near them, but, of course, being the maverick he was, the dead Jedi had to make things a little more difficult.

"Destined for greatness, she is. But at what cost, I wonder. And will she agree to the terms, I do not know."

Yoda sighed, releasing a lungful of air.

"Help, I will. Send a young one, I shall."

He got up, leaning on a small cane made for his size. He had hoped he wouldn't have to go through this again, as he had many times, and many times ago. But sometimes fate didn't follow the rules. Sometimes it liked to do as it pleased.

The Resistance was in enough turmoil as it is. Why did a reincarnation have to get involved too?

And involved in a war they had never even heard of?

**P.P.S Qui-Gon Jinn also happens to be my favorite Jedi. Just a little piece of trivia. **


	2. In Which I Avoid the Bullies

**I don't know why I haven't fixed this chapter earlier - I suppose I already had. Well, hopefully _now_ it's working right. Well, enjoy! **

**I'd but a disclaimer here, but I know I don't have to.**

* * *

2

In Which I Avoid the Bullies, an Everyday Activity

_Ker-Chank!_

I winced. Okay, no slamming. Not a good idea. As long as you don't attract attention to yourself, you'll get away just fine. They won't notice you. They usually don't.

Hefting my back onto my shoulder, I crept down the quiet hall. School was out for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I was totally ready to get out of here. Five whole days at home, without a single person from the outside world to bother me. Are you kidding? I'll take any chance I get.

I went up the back stairwell, my feet echoing on the walls. The only kids on the second floor of my school were only the game club and science club, and they were too immersed in their own little worlds of dice and mice that I could sneak by unnoticed.

Not that the gamers or science geeks bothered me much. Sure, some of them were pretty big, but I tried to stay on good terms with people lower on the social ladder. I mean, I was _way_ down, but it's not a bad idea to make allies, just in case you need someplace to hide.

That being said, there were always spies.

Okay, not real spies. That's just ridiculous. But there were those people in every group – the snitches, the liars, the sneaks – that report to the Pops whenever something even mildly interesting happened at these little gatherings. I was not taking that chance.

I reached the end of the hall. Looking out, I scanned the ground below me. Good, no one. I was afraid the policeman might be making his rounds, or the janitor moving between buildings, but the grass was deserted.

Ducking behind a closed door, I climbed up the ladder and emerged on the roof of the building.

The air up here was cold, and I regretted only bringing a sweater today. Looking around, I walked across the gravel and found the long ladder leading down the brick wall and to the ground.

This was how I entered and left school every day. It was extremely effective, giving me a detour to avoid anyone waiting for me at the front doors. Plus, it left me enough time to dash to my locker before I made it to homeroom. Then I'd only have at minimum six hours to deal with any future encounters with the Pops.

The Pops were the popular kids, mostly girls, who virtually ruled the school. I was serious when I say 'virtual.' Cell phones were their name and sabotaging was their game. Armed with these dangerous weapons, the Pops could ruin someone's life in a matter of seconds, simply by sending a picture or a rumor at the press of a button. Unfortunately for me, I had passed the point of no return.

I mean, cell phones were almost obsolete compared to my checked record. It also doesn't help that I got myself kicked off the track team – yeah, not one of my greatest moves. Still pretty infamous, though.

I guess I should introduce myself. My name's Kaley Foster and I go to Miller High School, and for some weird reason, nobody seems to like me very much. I don't get it. Because, honestly, I'm pretty chill person. I'm not exactly one to get angry a lot…although I guess it's pretty bad when I do. Which is technically why I got kicked off the track team. But more on that later.

Still. Even during Middle School it was like that. Kids would give me looks and edge away quickly. For the longest while I thought it was because I smelled bad, which also didn't make a lot of sense. I had great hygiene, thank you very much. For a while, I thought they were just being mean, but after one of the kids got smart and told me to stop acting like a weirdo, I started to realize that, yeah, it's only in their heads. I mean, me? Acting weird? Come on!

Yet, as my school years wore on, I realized that there was definitely something odd going on. Even the Goths and gangsters knew it, so they avoided me, too. What was it? Did I just radiate waves that drove everyone away from me?

Funny. To think that in a few days, it's probably those same waves that brings everyone _to_ me.

I'll explain later.

I hit the ground and readjusted my bag. Pressing my back against the wall, I checked around the corner, counted to ten, and ran for all I was worth to the sidewalk.

The world must've been out to get me, because I never made it.

As soon as I passed the building, a hand came out of nowhere and snatched my hood, wrenching me back with a painful jerk. I choked as the collar dug into my trachea.

"Where do you think you're going, Weirdo?" a girl snarled.

"Let me go!" I yanked myself away, staring at my opposition. Jessica Bexington, three of her followers, and several guys from the football team were leering at me. Oh, that's just great. Not only was I outnumbered, I was also outmatched. I might've been able to handle Jessica if the thick-headed linebackers weren't standing right behind her.

"Why?" Jessica sneered, tossing her head. Her silky, auburn hair flashed in the weak sunlight. "So you can run home and cry to Mommy? I don't think so, Foster."

"I'm not wasting my time with you," I said, which was another way of saying I was just terrified of messing with her. I had to get out of here. _Now_. Especially since I told Mom I'd stop the fighting.

Okay, there's this thing about me that not even I understand. I'm pretty calm and quiet, right? I'm not going around with flying fists and knocking people out left and right. But sometimes, there's just no other way out. It's only happened three times, but I think one more might guarantee me getting kicked out.

Now that I thought about it, that was probably what Jessica was trying to do. She wanted to push me to breaking point, so I go all out and whip out my bad self, just so I can get expelled and no one would have to deal with me anymore.

Come on. I'm not stupid.

"Just leave me alone, Jessica." I took a step back, trying to look as unimposing as possible. Look less like a threat and she'll let you go. "I have to go home."

I turned around and walked off.

And…whammo.

Two hands slammed into my back, sending me forward into a puddle. I gasped as the slick gooeyness slashed me in the face and drenching my clothes.

"Ha! What've you got left to live for, Foster?" a boy laughed. "Why don't you, like, just do everyone a favor and kill yourself or something?"

I tried to get up, but someone pushed me back down, getting me even _wetter_. Jessica tittered and said, "Just when you think Foster couldn't get any more low, there she goes! Now even _lower_ than before!"

I felt tears burning behind my eyes. I wanted to fight back – and I have, before – but the familiar look of disappointment on my mom's face would be too much to bear.

As Jessica and her friends chortled, I shot up and ran for all I was worth. One of them, the linebackers, tried to keep up. But, you know, there was a reason I was on the track team in the first place, wasn't there?

But that didn't make their words any less true.

I think I should explain that when someone was once on the track team, and was a star long-distance runner, that usually means you can maintain a fast but steady pace for a longer period of time. Linebackers, however, were not built for speed or endurance. As I kicked up dirt and gravel, hitting the sidewalk and going down the street, I heard him panting for air behind me. I wanted to laugh in his face – even I had thought he had more in him than that.

Also, I kind of wanted to get home to study for the test that my science teacher hinted at today. And my science teacher doesn't kid around with tests.

It wasn't much to go by, but I figured any opportunity to get a better grade was a good one. No time like change, right? Mom wanted me to try harder, and I wanted to show her I could. Especially when I had a whole five days to sharpen up and get to the books. Maybe I could scrap by with a C-. I could do this thing.

At least, that was what I thought.

You see, every year we go to Boston to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. Well, the family on my mother's side. I don't really know much about my father, and he's been gone ever since…

Well, never mind.

The point is, the vacation is usually a giant family reunion every year. Thanksgiving just happens to be a great time to guilt each other into saying nice stuff and spending too much time cooking and eating. But that wasn't the part that really bothered me.

It was Grandma Gertrude.

You would never think Grandma Gertrude was evil until you got a chance to really get to know her. It happens over the years, as you get used to her tiny, frail, wrinkled exterior and discover her rotten, dead inside. She hated my very existence, and I guess you could say the feeling was mutual.

Grandma Gertrude likes to criticize people. She nags and bothers and visits without calling. She complains about Mom being overworked, me being underworked, and the fact that my dad wasn't around to help carry the weight. Carrying the weight, I was cool with. Dealing with her, not so much.

To me, Grandma Gertrude was like an older, more spiteful Jessica, only there was no possible way to distance myself from her. It also doesn't help we're related. She never liked my mother's choice in men from the start, and never seemed to like the children she gave birth to, either.

Even though it was just me.

Grandma always wanted a grandson, not a granddaughter, but she must've still been living in the middle ages where she thought it was Mom's fault I was a girl, when it was really just because Dad didn't have a dominant X chromosome. Can you blame me for being who I am?

Don't answer that.

Either way, like I said, she hated my guts and was set on making my life and my mom's a living nightmare. Like I wasn't enough of a burden on Mom, but then she had to deal with her own mother.

Mom was an accountant at a bank, and a pretty underpaid one, too. At least that was something Grandma Gertrude got right. Mom had barely enough money to support the both of us, and it doesn't help the fact that our house has been falling apart and we don't exactly have a stove or heating system for the winter. It's kind of a tradition every winter to go shopping for new, warmer blankets.

So when I got home and discovered most of our clothes confined into several heavy suitcases, I gave Mom a curious look before I pushed the panic button.

"Family reunion," she sighed, brushing back her graying brown hair, tied into a strict bun. She always had to look smart at the bank, and even more so at Boston. I saw she had whipped out her best make-up and applied it to her face. In my opinion, I thought Mom could've been a beautiful actress had she not had all the stress and work holding her down. On her good days, Mom just radiated beauty, which also made me feel great and wonderful and fuzzy inside.

Mom pulled at her rather conservative dress and winced in her high heels. She was never one for high fashion, and I have to admit, neither was I. We had a lot in common, and that happened to be one of them.

"You know the drill," she said, hauling up one of the suit cases and heading outside. "Get to Boston, do the dinner, play sweet, and get out on Sunday, before school starts again."

"You know, Mom," I said conversationally, hauling up a suitcase and dragging it after her. "We could always leave early on Black Friday and get home before they even notice we're gone."

Mom laughed a rueful laugh as she dumped the suitcase into the trunk of our old Camero. She stroked my hair as I passed, shoving mine in after hers. "You're so full of funny ideas, Sweetie."

I looked at her dead on. "I was being serious."

Mom smiled sadly at me. "So much like your father. If he wanted something to happen, he'd _make_ it happen. He was so calm. And stubborn, too. Knew how to make a good argument."

I tried an awkward smile. Mom talking about Dad made me happy, but saying I was so much like him? It was weird, since I didn't really have a lot of time to get to know him. It was one of those things I regretted not doing when I was younger.

"Well," Mom shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she slammed down the hood of the trunk. "Time to hit the road, partner?"

"No." I said flatly. "But it's not like I have a choice, do I?"


	3. For Today's Forecast, Expect Cute Boys

**RE-EDITED - I've added a few parts that I felt were deemed necessary. Kaley IS something unique - I should've emphathized that the last time. But now its better so...enjoy!**

**Read and Review!**

3

For Today's Forecast, Expect Cute Boys Falling From the Sky

I stared out the window, bored out of my freaking mind.

I was in uptown Boston, in my grandparents' apartment. It seemed like every fall vacation my entire family thinks it'd be a good idea just to gather in a three-bedroom residence with only one bathroom and thirteen different cousins. Sure, I had a ton of homework, but I'd like to see you do it surrounded by annoying little brats.

What was worse was the fact that I was an only child at the age of fifteen years old. Seriously, I had cousins who were twins, triplets, and even a quadruplet. It was completely insane. And even worse, all of them were at least six years younger than me, so having even having a conversation that didn't revolve around ponies or blowing up dinosaurs was very rare.

"Honey," my mom said from behind, raising her voice over the ruckus my cousins were creating. "Are you alright?"

Mom always worried about me. I wasn't sure why, but I was glad she noticed. "I'm fine, Mom, thanks."

"Is everything okay?" she asked, sitting down beside me. "You look sad. Is it Dad again?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I shook my head. "I'm just bored, that's all."

Mom smiled, brushing her brown hair out of the way. "Well, how about tomorrow we go shopping together? Just the two of us."

"Seriously?" I asked, perking up instantly. We barely had any time together, between school and her constant work, and anything done together was rarely glorified – it barely went beyond doing the dishes and, every once in a while, eating TV dinners.

"Yep." She grinned. "Excellent time for sales on good shoes."

I laughed. This couldn't have been a better turn out to an otherwise unfortunate situation. Man, was I lucky! "Awesome."

"Where are you going?" Grandma asked suspiciously, as she passed me. "Nothing important, right? Because I'll need someone to do the chores tomorrow."

I glared at her. "Mom and I are going shopping tomorrow. Alone."

Grandma's faced pinched. "But then who's going to vacuum? My arthritis is acting up again."

"Well," I said, standing up, trying to sound polite. "You'll just have to deal with it."

Grandma looked like she was going to say something nasty in reply, but I had made my getaway, crossing the den and disappearing into my room. I didn't want to deal with her today. Me and Grandma…we didn't get along very well.

I flopped onto the bed. Family reunions were so boring.

I twiddled my thumps, stared out the window into the gray sky, thought about school, homework, pounding Jessica, anything to keep my mind off the fact that I was in Boston, surrounded by some of the most hated people in the world.

It was always like that, really. I didn't get it, and apparently, no one else did, either. It was like every step of my life, I had to be different, do something crazy (usually on accident), and just make people think I'm some weirdo by walking into the room.

It wasn't that I looked creepy or ghoulish. I thought I looked fine. I took showers almost every day, I brushed my air, wore appropriate clothing, but it never seemed to be enough. Somehow, I always got dirty, fell in the mud or something. My hair would get tangled, catch into a hook or a zipper. It wasn't even very long! And my clothes…well, I guess I don't have much of an excuse for that. They were a little baggy, and I guess I might have borrowed some of my mom's clothes when I forgot to do the laundry, but still! It seemed normal enough – other kids must be in the same situation I was from time to time!

And yet, I didn't even think my appearance was the source of it. It was kind of an add-on, like _You Don't Like Kaley Foster ?– Here's Some More Reasons to Hate Her!_

My luck, I think, ended around elementary school, after teachers told off this guy in a heavy trench coat and fedora to leave me alone, or they'll call the cops. But no one would believe me when I said I saw his face, and his skin was dark red and tattooed black.

Another time, in sixth grade, I accidentally set the library on fire when I knocked over a water tank, and it spilled over an electrical outlet on the floor and caught fire. Books were burned and library cards lost, but it was hard for me to explain that it was just an accident.

There were even more after that, but the biggest one was only a couple weeks ago, right before the sports season ended. It was the last race on the track, and everyone was cheering me on. Long-distance, endurance required, fear optional. I was in pure exhilaration to know that Coach Wilson had finally put me on, right after Felicity Burke sprained her ankle.

I was in my game. At the time, I was totally convinced I could win it. Somehow, I was faster than everyone else. Somehow, I could just beat them. It was so easy, so simple, it was too good to be true.

I had won first place. It wasn't even debated. I had worked months to get myself into the physical state I was then, just so I could show all those kids who really knew how to win. But me, being Kaley Foster, the freak, the weirdo, the loser – winning was just something I was not allowed to be capable of.

I think it was Jessica who started the rumor, who hinted that it was drugs that enhanced my performance, not devotion or determination or will power. And, for some reason, the various coach's believed her.

I was cross-examined by a bunch of people. My friends, my coach, the police, the media. Drugs were illegal, and I totally had a rep that work against me. It wasn't like I had done drugs before, but I was as close as being a delinquent as I could get.

But when I kept denying it, even when I came negative for drug use from the tests, they were convinced I had done something. I was so frustrated, I wanted to cry. Then there came court charges, and because Mom was so short on money, we couldn't afford our own lawyer, much less the time it took to get all the trouble to sort it through. So I kind of just lied and said I did it.

And it all just blew over.

I'm not saying I'm proud of it, especially when my Grandma caught wind of it, but I guess my situation could always be worse. I've still got a sense of humor, right?

I mean, it's not like I didn't lose all my friends, what social life I had left, or the decent grades I had. Which I did, by the way. But it was no big deal. I could handle it. I could handle anything.

"Kaley, dinner's ready." Mom poked her head in the room.

"I'm coming," I groaned, heaving myself up from my reverie. "Don't wait for me."

The dinner table was set with the biggest feast I've ever seen – well, next to Christmas, of course. Grandma was in the kitchen, bringing out the turkey. As she passed, she asked me, "Can you go take the lid off the skillet, dear? I don't want it to burn."

"Alright," moving past her, I went up to the stove and noticed the skillet. Taking a cloth, I carefully took off the lid.

And immediately got a face-full of exploding green onions.

I cried out as the burning vegetables made contact with my face. I stumbled back, wiping them away and felt the skin on my cheek and forehead tingle painfully in reaction. Jeez, that hurt!

I heard a sinister giggle behind me. I turned around and saw Grandma, trying to hide her smirk while everyone else was giving me weird looks.

"Careful, dear," she tittered. "Don't want to ruin that pretty face, do we?"

I swear, this little old lady was the Wicked Witch of the West, or maybe Cinderella's evil stepmother.

"Now, go sit down," she ordered. "You're holding us up."

I was so frustrated with her that I couldn't come up with a decent retort. Giving Grandma a furious look, I stomped to the table and sat in the last seat available. At the very end.

Mom was up at the start, sitting beside Grandma, who took the head seat - her throne of power. Even though she was almost as short as little Jimmy, she looked at us as if she owned us all. Colby, my mom's husband, sat beside her, holding her hand and giving a wide, fake grin. "It's so nice to have the whole family together," he said, grinning at us.

I rolled my eyes and looked away. What a faker. Phony Colby is what I liked to call him when I was little. It wasn't as catchy as I would've liked, but we were learning rhyme in school at the time and that was the only thing that worked.

Somehow, we got through the first three courses without a single mention of my faults: during the light stew, Phony Colby bored us all to death with a long talk about Gabby, some pal of his who came into a run-in with a moose in the middle of a lonely road (seriously? I might as well stick a knife down my throat). Then out came the nicely cooked meal and Grandma cut the chicken into (relatively) equal pieces. When I finally received my plate, I discovered I was lacking in the meat department and had a heaping pile of Brussels sprouts. I _hated_ Brussels sprouts.

"So, how is Kaley?" Grandma addressed my mother, as if I were too deaf to hear her from across the table. "What are you planning to do with her?"

I felt my fists clench and waited for Mom's answer.

"What do you mean, Mother?"

"Well, I assumed she was causing trouble, and I know this wonderful boarding school down south that takes care of kids like her. Just in case you're looking..."

"I'm not."

"Dear," Colby piped up, and I was secretly wishing I could take a sledgehammer and bash him on the head. "I think it's a good idea. At least consider it."

"Kaley is a good girl, Mother," Mom said coldly. "She hasn't been causing any problems."

I silently cheered her on.

"But, sweetie, I thought you said her grades were dropping –"

"Not anymore. Kaley's catching up. She's just having problems with bullies at school –"

"So, she's starting fights?"

"What? No! That's not –"

"Because honestly, Molly, she will never meet the standards out there. She's just not good enough."

"For what?" I demanded loudly, leaning forward, and everyone turned to look at me. Usually, I was a shy girl, but Grandma had just crossed the line. "You? Because I could really care less, _Gertrude_." I knew that by calling Grandma by her first name would only irritate her more.

"Now, look here, you–"

No, _you_ look here," I snarled, standing up. "I don't know what you're problem is with me, but I don't care. You can't bully me around! I'm not going to take your crap anymore."

"_Kaley_!" Phony Colby ordered. "Sit _down_!"

"No!" I yelled at him, provoked by his loud voice.

He stood up. "I am your father, little missy, and you will do as I say. Now, sit _down_."

No, he wasn't. He was actually my step-dad, and one that I could care less about. I threw him a cold look. "Make me."

Phony Colby's face blew up like a balloon, bright red. It would've put a stoplight to shame. He was about to say something, but Grandma intervened.

"Now, now, Kaley," she said calmly. "Let's not make a fool of ourselves in front of everyone. You give the Robinson family a bad name."

Yeah, that's it, isn't it?" I demanded, pointing at myself. "Because I'm the only Foster in here? Because I don't fit in, because I ruin the perfect family you had in mind? Well, I'm sorry, Gertrude, but that's not gonna happen! I'm part of this stupid family, and you'll just have to live with it until you die!"

With that, I stormed out of the room.

"You get back here!" Grandma shouted, her lungs much more powerful than her thin frame showed.

"NO!" I slammed the door to my bedroom, locking it. I was breathing hard. I slumped against the door and slid to the floor. I think that could've gone better.

I stayed in my room for the rest of the night. I was supposed to share the room with my mom and Colby, but I didn't open the door for anyone. I even kept hold on the lock to keep Gertrude from trying to use a key to open it. I didn't want to see _anybody_.

Even Mom, the one person who could convince me to do anything, tried to talk me out of it, but it wasn't like court. I didn't have to be reasonable. I didn't even have to tell the truth. I just stayed there, doing what I do best: being stubborn, sarcastic, and quiet.

Eventually, I had to fall asleep. All the fighting and arguing had really gotten to me, and I felt exhausted. I flopped onto the bed and instantly drifted off. My dreams were flitty and unfocused, and no matter what I did, I couldn't concentrate on the images or sounds I heard. It was mostly comprised of a lot of yelling, screaming, lights flashing, and some colorful swear words. It made no sense, but I felt strange in the way that the dream was trying to convey emotion. Do you usually feel emotion in a dream, besides joy or fear? I didn't know.

In my dream, I struggled to understand the feeling coursing inside of me. It didn't feel natural, like something that hadn't yet taken root. Something that had yet to happen. It wasn't an emotion I recognized, besides the fact it wasn't fear or hatred or embarrassment. Happiness seemed to be there, but the feeling was something a little bit…more.

All emotions aside, I had no clue what it was directed _at_ or _for._

Then something seemed to click, and everything went pinkish red. I could feel it – the answer was close. What the answer was, or what form it would take, I had no idea, but it was close. It had to be –

Next thing I knew, I'm being shaken awake. I don't know how she got in (I was sure to put a chair in the way), but Mom managed to get into my room.

"Psst!" she whispered, shaking me gently. "It's shopping time! Let's go before your horrible grandmother wakes up!"

At the mention of my horrible grandmother, I was up like a rocket. I got ready faster than any school day, and this was waking up almost two hours earlier. This was an amazing feat, if I do say so myself. I was _not _a morning person.

On the other hand, I didn't like waiting in a long line of people just for a store to open up, which was what I ended up doing when we escaped the hovel known as Gertrude's apartment. Yippee.

It was cold. It was freezing. I hated being up so early. I almost wanted to risk going back to the apartment just to go back to sleep, but Gertrude was still there, so I decided against it.

Mom sighed after I complained for the millionth time. "Fine, Kaley. Go sit in the car if you're so bored. But you're hanging around for the next couple stores, alright?"

"Sure thing," I replied quickly, leaving the area. Finally, I can listen to some music and not turn into the human icicle at the same time.

I sat in the driver's seat (Mom let me drive as a treat), lounging in the weak sun. My mother owned an old convertible, but I loved it. The leather seats were soft and the no-roof factor gave way to plenty of advantages, besides the fact that it was freezing cold out. But I wanted to show off, just a little bit, that I wasn't a complete loser.

I was humming to myself when the most unexpected thing happened to me.

A boy fell from the sky.

I'm not kidding.

And he wasn't very graceful, either. First, I was sitting by myself, enjoying the peace, when suddenly – _WHAM!_ – A boy landed in the passenger seat.

I practically jumped out of my socks. The car rocked violently as I yelled, "Holy crap!"

Beside me was a boy, no older than myself, looking unkempt and a little dazed. His blond hair stood out in the sunlight and his skin was nicely tanned, like he worked on a farm or something. He was cute, I guess, but I wasn't thinking about that because he had just landed in my car!

"Ugh," he shook his head, straightening himself. I pushed his legs off of my lap. "Sorry. I still have to work on my landings."

I couldn't believe it. I almost had a heart attack and this guy's acting like it's no big deal? Are you kidding me? I glanced around. Unfortunately, we were in an abandoned parking lot and nobody seemed to notice the fact that male Homo sapiens were dropping out of the sky.

"Um," I grasped the steering wheel tightly, trying not to freak out. "What just happened? Where the heck did you come from?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, pointing. "Up. Now, who are you?"

"I think _I'm_ the one who's supposed to be asking questions here," I snapped, poking him in the chest (which, incidentally, was rather muscular). "You're the one with the whole falling-into-others-people's-cars gig going on. Who the heck are you?"

"I'm Luke," he replied nonchalantly, looking around as if we were being followed. "And we're both going to die if we don't get out of here. And fast."

"Excuse me?"

"Look, I'm in danger." He said quickly. "And if we don't move, so will you. Can we please just go?"

"Danger? From what?"

_BOOM!_


	4. We're Chased by a Guy in a Sombrero

**Didn't do too much re-touching on this one, except a couple name changes and maybe a couple deeper descriptions. I had to change Kaley, becuase she was acting too much like my main characters from other stories. Yeah. Kaley has a different personality, and I wanted to make that obvious. Enjoy!**

**Read and Review!**

4

We're Chased by a Guy in a Sombrero

The ground shook as tar exploded into the air. I shrieked, covering my head as debris fell. When it cleared, I looked around and noticed a very deep hole in the ground, inches from my car. It was smoking profusely. I gasped, astounded.

There was a loud whirring and I looked up. Right above the car was a dark blue, flying vehicle. Driving it was a very slim figure with an outrageously wide hat, like some wannabe cowboy from space. I tried to move, to start the car, but I couldn't. I realized with horror that I was paralyzed with terror, rooted to the spot.

"Move!" Luke's shout brought me back into control. With jerky movements, I snapped out and wrenched the key into the ignition and started the car. There was a bang as the exhaustion kicked in and the vibration underneath told me that the car hadn't stalled. Taking hold of the steering wheel, I yanked the gearshift back and pressed the gas.

The car swerved wildly, partly because I was too scared to do a good job, and mostly because I was still learning. Pushing the gearshift back, the car shot forward, just in time to avoid getting blast to bits by another green bolt of energy.

We peeled out of the parking lot, Luke almost thrown out by the curve. I yelled at him, "Put your seatbelt on, you crazy moron!"

He did what I told without saying a word.

The street was empty, but the boulevard I turned into was not. I passed cars and trucks, receiving angry honks and some colorful swearing, and probably breaking more laws than I can count on my fingers and toes. But that didn't matter anymore. I had some demented _Star Trek_ lunatic on my back and another in the seat beside me. I needed to get out of here.

Thankfully, once the people realized that, yes, a psycho from space was shooting at us, they cleared out of the way. Cars pulled over; people scrambled out of the way as I raced past – even more were taking pictures and videotaping them. I saw phones being dialed. I couldn't be sure who would know about this first: college buddies, 9-1-1, or the press.

"This way!" Luke pointed to the left. I wasn't thinking and did just that, almost colliding with a cement truck going the same way. The cement truck honked, the driver pulling the wheel so hard that the vehicle itself toppled, blocking the road entirely. I swung around him at the last moment, barely making it past. I winced when the side scraped against the tank – that was going to leave a mark.

"I hope Mom's got auto insurance," I muttered to myself. It seemed as if the whole city went on panic mode. People were running and screaming. Cars crashed and pulled over. People were scrambling out of their automobiles. I was _so_ glad this car was small.

"Get lost, _slimo_!" my reluctant passenger yelled at the chasing attacker. "Eat my dust, you diseased maniac!"

"Do we really want to antagonize him?" I asked, struggling to remain in control of the car. I looked ahead. "Oh boy, we've got a problem."

"What is it?" he turned around.

A large eighteen wheeler crashed in the middle of the intersection, right in front of us. I shrieked, slamming on the breaks and making to spin the wheel so I wouldn't collide into it.

"No, you can make it!" he told me, nudging my arm to urge me forward. "Don't slow down!"

"Are you _nuts_?" I cried hysterically. _How could he possibly say that?_ "You're gonna kill us both!"

"Just keep going!"

That's when I saw the ramp made from a piece of metal. It was placed, slanted, on the back end of a utility truck. Swinging the steering wheel, the car jumped forward and shot off the incline like a ballistic missile.

"WHOA!" I shouted as we went airborne.

Then, a long tube came up, carried on the crane that went with said construction crew. It was wide, at least five meters across. The car slid in, smooth. The tube swung around, taking us away from the alien thing. I heard it fly by as we rose into the air. I guess it didn't see our escape.

It was totally inexplicable. _He_ was inexplicable. Falling out of the sky, landing in my car, racing from the guy in a freaking _hovercraft!_ How did he know we were going to make it? It couldn't have been some wild leap of faith – it just _couldn't_. How could he have known we would be okay?

I stopped the car and parked it – I had positioned it roughly in the middle so we didn't tip the entire thing and go falling to our deaths. After a moment, the tube came to a rest and I heard as the crane unattached itself. I relaxed. We were safe.

He laughed. "You did it."

"Yeah," I said, breathless and a little dazed. "I d-did. What's your name again?"

"Luke," he said grinning, like he just won first prize. "Luke Skywalker."

"Look, Luke." I replied shortly, then stood up straighter. "Saving your life is cool and all, but what the _heck _was that all about? Why was he trying to kill us – you?"

Luke frowned. "Look, I can't explain. Do you know where I can find a Kaley Foster?"

I froze. "Yeah."

"Where?"

"Right in front of you. How do you know my name?" I asked suspiciously, wondering if now would be a great time to freak out. What was the chance of the one person he was looking for, and he happened to drop right into the car? It was almost like a…

…Coincidence.

But I didn't believe in coincidences.

"Look, Kaley, you're in danger," he told me seriously, the smile disappearing altogether. "No, I'm serious. That guy back there – he's a bounty hunter. He's after me, and I'm looking for you. He wants to kill us both. Or, better yet, take us to his client."

"Client?" I asked, startled. "I thought bounty hunters were the good guys?"  
He gave me a weird look. "What planet are you from?"

I scowled.

"Bounty hunters work for money and nothing else." Luke explained. "They're mercenaries. They'll do anything to get the job done."

"Then who's he working for?"

"I…don't know," he winced. "The thing is, you aren't safe here. He knows that this is where you live. You aren't safe here anymore."

"Oh, that's just great." I muttered to myself. "As if I hadn't had enough to worry about."

"Please, you need to come with me."

"Hold on," I held up a hand. "What's so special about me? Why are you looking for me? I can tell you right now, I don't have any fancy-smancy superpowers or anything like that."

Luke shook his head. "I don't think I'm the right one to tell you."

I sighed. "Whatever. But then what –"

"Well, look what we have here," said a scratchy, rumbling voice behind me. "An inexperienced Padawan and a silly little girl. I have to be honest – I was looking forward to a more challenging fight."

I gasped, surprised, whipping around in my seat. This was a bad idea. I ended up twisting the seatbelt, thereby entangling myself. Smart move, Kirsten.

I couldn't tell what the said Bounty Hunter looked like, because of his abnormally large wide-brimmed hat, but I could clearly make out a pistol in each hand, one for the both of us. I guess if we crossed the line, he wouldn't be afraid to shoot.

"Bane." Luke growled.

"Ah," the Bounty Hunter chuckled. "My reputation precedes me. You can't get away from me this time, Jedi."

Padawan? Jedi? I was so confused.

"Where's your master, youngling?" Bane snarled. "A little far away from home, aren't we?"

"Apparently not far enough."

I looked from one to the other. Clearly, they were too focused on each other to pay any attention to me. Slipping back into my seat, taking care not to go too fast or sudden, I reached out and touched the key to the ignition. Wincing, I turned the key.

_WHIRR_…

The car engine stalled. I stared, realizing that my cover was blown. A bolt of green light seared my shoulder, missing my back and hitting the dashboard. I yelped, my hand reaching up for the charred skin. That hurt!

"Now, now," Suddenly, Bane was in the backseat, hissing in my ear. I jumped – how did he get there so fast? "Let's play nice, or the boy here might end up with a hole in his head."

I gulped, trying to swallow the grapefruit that had been lodged down my throat. This was bad.

"Hey, Boss," said a female voice behind us. "The ship's ready."

"Good," he hissed. "Now, I want you both to get up with your hands where I can see them. And no funny business."

I did exactly as I was told: I couldn't think of anything else to do. Luke looked like he wanted very much to fight, but the gun pointed at his chest prevented anything of the sort.

I slowly slid out of the car, carefully undoing my seatbelt and standing up on the awkward, curved floor. He held us at gunpoint, poking us until we left the gigantic tube and stepped onto the roof of some building. Our feet crunched on the gravel.

Looking around, I saw a strange vehicle. The center was oblong with an arm on either side, pointing straight up. About now, I had already been expecting to see the boosters on the wings, but the ship itself looked quite impractical. The shape was oddly made and didn't look like it could go very fast. Then again, if these guys were aliens, it was probably be a good idea not to underestimate them.

"Bind them up," Bane ordered, pointing at several of his minions – one a short, humanoid yellow fish thing and the other that resembled a particularly ugly rhinoceros. "Get blindfolds. Gags, too. We're going to send a message."

At first, I didn't want to know what '_message_' meant – I was thinking from he was going to string us up high and display us in front of millions, to ripping out our tongues and eating out our eyeballs, or even torturing us until we went stark raving mad.

Turns out, it was none of those things. As it was, he did record a brief video of holding us together under gunpoint, blatantly helpless and vulnerable, and giving a speech that went along the lines of:

"You are fools," he began, going off into the Bad-Guy-Monologue I was expecting, and ended the threat with, "If you don't give us the Jedi Holocron and five hundred thousand credits, we'll put a bullet through both of their heads."

So scary. Okay, yes it was, but I felt like I was having déjà vu. I think I've seen way too many action movies.

I've never been in a hostage situation before. I don't know what difference it would've made, but I had no idea what to expect, other than threats and a severe lack of comfortableness. They locked me and Luke in a small room – well, more like a broom closet, had there been anything of the sort. Really, I didn't think I was up for what would become the most boring days of my life.

When locked up in a dark 6 feet by 6 feet room, lost in the dark, and really hungry, there isn't much you can do except sleep and wait for the next meal (which were not very tasteful _or_ nutritious, by the way). So that's what I did. I slept.

And because of that, I knew very little. It's really depressing that you're so bored that the only way you can keep from dying is to keep your brain creatively active. Since I was constantly sleeping, the world decided it best to move on without me.

Every time I woke up, I could see Luke hunched in one corner, head bent, not moving or saying anything. It freaked me out, because he was always like that, every time I woke up and every time I fell asleep. For a while, I wondered if he was dead. But I noticed that his food bowl was always empty when they took them, so either he was eating it or I was in my sleep. I think it's needless to say we didn't talk. Mostly because I didn't like him for dragging me into this and somewhat because I was afraid the bounty hunters might kill us if they thought we were up to something.

After some time (minutes, hours, days? I couldn't tell – I never wore a watch), we launched into space. It was a weird feeling of vertigo. It's like you could _feel_ the height you were being taken to, but you just couldn't see it. Like being in a plane with no windows or something. Somehow, these guys mastered artificial gravity, because not once did I leave the ground and float in the air for more than two seconds.

I wondered when Luke's buddies were going to save us. Apparently, the wait must've been getting to the bounty hunters, because I could tell they were restless. Through the cracks in the door, I could see shadows of people constantly pacing back and forth, and angry yells told me that impatience was a common thing around here.

Through the metal, I could here two of them yelling. It was the thick lizard/rhino man from earlier and the Bane dude.

"I say we kill them now!" Rhino Man said. "I'm tired of waiting for the Jedi. We haven't heard a word from them since the message!"

"The Jedi are patient. The Jedi are slow," Bane replied coldly. "And they do not waste time. There isn't a chance in the world they wouldn't go out of their way to get their little recruits back."

"But, Boss," Rhino Man objected. "Everyone's getting a little on edge. We're were supposed to have our pay and be out of here two weeks ago. Why don't we kill one of them – maybe it'll speed up the Jedi."

"No!" Bane exclaimed. "My client wants both of them alive. The girl in particular."

"We haven't had any good action for a while now. How 'bout we give them a little thumpin', just to keep us sharp?"

Bane actually considered it. "Fine. If you must. I suppose the Jedi needs a little lesson anyways."

"Alright, Boss," Rhino Man chuckled sinisterly.

There was the sound of heavy footsteps. I gasped, scrambling back against the farthest wall. Luke jumped, startled. There came three taunting knocks on the door.

"Knock, knock," Rhino Man chuckled as the door slid open. He loomed over us, his hulking shadow blocking out pretty much everything. He flicked on a light, and an eerie red glow filled the room.

Luke, sensing danger, had stood up, but there was very little that either of us could do. With hands tied around your back, let's see you defend yourself against a reptile that was twice your size and had a nice set of tusks protruding from his mouth.

Rhino Man punched his fist, cracking his knuckles and grinning maliciously. "Look who came to play, Jedi. Who wants to play a game called Knock Your Teeth Out?"

Not me, that's for sure.

I had risen, too, as if I could be intimidating that way. Unfortunately, I was smaller than Luke, who was smaller than Rhino Man, who was bigger than both of us combined. Luke stepped in front of me, which was all nice and very chivalric of him, but I couldn't help it to wonder if it was in his best interest to do so.

Rhino Man thought this was very funny. He guffawed, "Oh, that's rich, Jedi. You think you can fight me?"

"I don't know," Luke raised his chin. "Maybe I will."

Rhino Man stopped laughing and sneered. "Have it your way, _Jedi_." He swung his fist.

But Luke must've been expecting it or something because he dodged. I yelped as Rhino Man's knuckles grazed my cheeks. I told the boy, "Hey, when defending someone, you don't let _them_ take the punches!"

Luke stared at me, "What?"

But Rhino Man wasn't distracted by my comment. He used Luke's inattention to his advantage and shoved the …erm…what is he?...oh, right! He shoved the Jedi into the wall. Luke grunted, taking the fall hard. I winced.

"Hey," I turned on Rhino Man, and tried not to feel incredibly intimidated when he glared at me. "Leave him alone!"

"Or what, sweetheart?" He taunted me. "What're you gonna do?"

Good question.

Then, before I could reply or he could snap at me, the ship shuddered violently. I fell, too surprised to utter a sound. Rhino Man stumbled, but caught the wall for support. He snarled, "What's going on?"

Someone rushed by the door. It was the tall, pasty lady from earlier who really needed to lay off the eye shadow. "An attack! The Resistance is here, and they've got us surrounded!"

"TO STATIONS!" someone yelled.

The lady stepped in, grimacing at us like we were the space equivalent of slimy maggots. "You're coming with me," She hefted us both by our collars (I choked), and hauled us outside. She lead us into the cockpit, where some blue hologram thing was displaying some guy in robes a lot like Luke's. Somehow, I had a feeling he was a Jedi, too.

Bane was there, sitting opposite and watching the hologram in silent interest. He didn't seem at all worried that there were a bunch of battleships circling outside his window. In fact, it kind of creeped me out. If he wasn't worried, then what was going to happen?

"So, Jedi," Bane sat forward in his seat, weaving together his fingers and smirking like he knew something we didn't. "Where's the money?"


	5. We Are Eternally Doomed

**YAY! New chapter is UP! Okay, for you guys new and old to the game, I've updated previous chapters, just so you know. I'm so glad I got this chapter over with. It took so long to figure out, and I'm glad I can write about the fun parts. **

**Sorry I've been so slow to update. I kind of...lost...the orginal file, and had to start from scratch, since I kind of don't remember what I had planned for this story. But I do now. So, ****Enjoy!**

**Read and Review. And may the Force be with you.**

**5**

**We Are Eternally Doomed**

We are eternally doomed, I thought to myself. We are so, so dead.

It should be said that the negotiations, in my opinion, did not go down very well. Bane wanted more money than even I thought I was worth, and the Jedi didn't want to risk our lives, so he obliged. Our lives for a whole crapload of money.

Okay, I know that doesn't sound sinister, but you should've been there _after_ the hologram conversation ended.

The pale woman was hauling us back, shoving us back into the broom closet when I heard Bane said, "Clean your guns, men. We've got a trade to go to, and I expect to have some more Jedi blood on my hands."

I whipped around, which wasn't a smart move. I was still cuffed, and the links cut painfully into my skin. "What? You're gonna trick him?"  
"Don't act so surprised," the woman sneered. "The Jedi get what they deserve. And we get what we've earned."

"So, you're just going to kill them?" I snarled, struggling in vain as the door slammed in my face. "You ungrateful, sleazy, fateful little –"

"Kaley!" Luke hissed at me from behind. "Shut up!"

I turned on him. "Oh, like you're helping! They're talking about killing your buddies, but all you can do is tell me to shut up?"

"Be quiet!" he lowered his voice, glaring at me. "I'm just as upset as you are – I'm just better at hiding it. Trust me, I'm not going to let them get away with it."

"And how do you plan to do that, Smart One?"

Luke glared at me, probably wondering why he was even sent on this mission to get me in the first place. He probably thought I was more trouble than I was worth, which was totally true. "Just leave it to me, all right? I know what I'm doing."

_Yeah, because everything you've done so far has been so helpful_, I thought sourly.

Where we were going, I couldn't be sure, but I knew I wasn't going to like it. Being kidnapped and ransomed is not fun, although I guess it could be worse. They could cut off an ear or a finger, and threaten to kill us. Then they really _will_ kill us.

I tried to calm myself. My overactive imagination was scaring me.

The deal shouldn't take too long, I had figured. They made it, and probably want to get it over with as fast as they could. The bounty hunters wanted the money, bad. I knew, if anything, that these were impatient fellows. They weren't going to wait around for a couple of Jedis to find the money. They'd make sure they had it in the first place.

So long as they don't kill them first.

I frowned, sitting down and concentrating on anything but the upcoming event. What was a Jedi? I never even heard of them, much less about what they are, or what they're supposed to do. Were they sponsored by the government? Whose side were they on? And what the heck were they and the other side fighting about? I hoped the bounty hunters weren't the good guys, because I didn't want to think how bad the bad guys would have to be.

Suddenly, there was a loud rumble as the ship connected with something hard. I nearly toppled over, and had to catch the wall from flopping on my side.

The door slammed open and I had barely enough time to get up before Pale Lady snatched my shirt collar, wrenched me out, and almost asphyxiated me. I stumbled and my head bashed against the doorframe. Okay, when they say you see stars when you hit your head, they are totally not lying about that. With my vision impaired, I had be shoved and kicked in whatever direction we were going.

When my eyesight cleared, I almost wished it hadn't. We were on some bridge connecting the ship to a even _bigger_ ship. I stared out the huge windows, in a mixture of awe and intimidation.

The thing looked like a battleship, only in space and shaped like the world's biggest arrowhead. On either end, it seemed to stretch farther than three football fields placed end to end. Enormous turret guns and lasers were armed and ready all along the sides, way bigger than any tank or cannon I had ever seen. I could barely wrapped my mind around it – people used _these_ to fight?

I had to hand it to them, though. They definitely knew how to create hulking, metal masses of total destruction.

My pause in shock was not to Pale Lady's liking, and she shoved me forward. It was all I could do not to perform a valiant face-plant. Tripping to right myself, I ducked as she swung a hand at me, avoiding a very painful slap to the face.

I glared at her, silent, and turned away before she could hit me again. I wasn't going to talk. At least, not yet.

The inside of the ship made it look even bigger. The halls were bright and shining white, and I had to wonder what they did to keep this place so clean. It didn't exactly make me feel welcome, especially when there was a gun pressing into my back.

I, Kaley Foster, was still eternally doomed.

I tried to keep track of where we were going, which turns we make, was stairs we took, but it wasn't worth it. I already knew this place was huge, and I was already getting exhausted. Nobody said anything, nobody told us where we were going, which was just as well. I guess they didn't want us to, I don't know, escape or run away or anything crazy like that. Because that'd just be stupid.

Eventually, we came across this random ol' door. It didn't look anything special, other than the fact that it was at the end of a long hall. On either side of me elevators lining the walls. Nothing went in them. Nothing came out.

The metal doors whooshed open as we approached. I had to admit, I was impressed. Not a doorknob, not a handle, not even a button to push; the door just _opened_. I needed one of those for my room.

But I was sadly mistaken as we were forced inside. The room was huge and expansive and was filled with the closest things to life forms I've seen yet. The place was circular, floor-to-ceiling windows lining the other half of the wall. There were two levels, one stretching out over the other. High-tech, red-screened computers were everywhere, and every single one of them were manned by _robots_.

I blinked once, twice, three times, not believing my eyes. Were they real?

I stared at them as we walked by. Oh, yeah, they were real all right. Their joints squeaked, their heads hummed, and their eyes flickered with yellow light. Their three-fingered hands pressed a wide range of unmarked buttons, and I had to wonder how they knew which one did what. Was it just programmed into their system?

"Sit here," Pale Lady pushed us to the floor on the higher level, near a tall seat. I didn't know what it was there for – was it the seat the captain of the ship sat in, or the emperor of the universe? I had to be honest, I wouldn't have been surprised at this point. "Don't move, don't talk. Do anything and you'll get a bullet through your head."

_Yippee_, I almost wanted to say out loud. _Is this how you treat all your guests? I bet you're rated five stars all the time._

But I remained silent, because my one last piece of sanity was still on control. I've guessed ransoms haven't changed much, even by a distance of a billion light years, and I've heard enough on the news to know your best bet at staying alive was to play along, do as they say, and _not be a hero_.

Somehow, I didn't think the last part would apply in our intergalactic situation.

I wanted to mention I was allergic to violence, but I didn't think they'd take it very well.

Pale Lady shoved Luke on the other side of the chair, which was probably a wise move on their part. I couldn't help but talk if there was at least someone within a couple of inches from me. But when Bane sat in the throne-like seat, any thoughts of concocting grand escapes were erased completely from my mind.

"So," Bane leered. "We've got the deal, we've got the package, all we need is the Jedi."

"So, boss!" Rhino Man seemed particularly excited, and I wasn't sure I was enjoying casual conversation anymore. "What're we gonna do when they show up? Jump 'em from behind or bash their heads in as soon as they come in?"

Just the thought made me sick to my stomach, but Bane simply chuckled and said, "We wait, as the great Jedi are so well known to do. Appear cooperative, diplomatic. They'll do anything for the children – they won't suspect a thing. As soon as they hand over the money, we kill them. One shot is all it takes."

With that last sentence, he withdrew a gun from his holster, twirled it around his finger, and slipped it back in with one smooth move. He reminded me of those cowboys from the Old West movies.

"You won't get away with it," I relaxed as Luke finally spoke up, glad that at least _someone _was going to do something. "They'll see right through your trap. The Jedi know you too well, Bane. They'll –"

"They'll what, Padawan?" Bane sneered at the boy, raising his hand as if to slap him. "The Jedi have become distracted. You can thank your silly war for that, Skywalker. I'm simply reaping the benefits."

"War?" I blurted stupidly. Okay, so I was making a guess earlier, but I didn't actually think I _was onto something!_ "What war? Nobody said anything about a war?"

Bane laughed, which sounded like a cross between a broken leaf blower and a vacuum. "I suppose the Resistance is not all it's cracked up to be, girl. What did you think, recruitment would be fun?"

"Recruitment?" I wrinkled my nose. "I wasn't recruited. I was _kidnapped_."

Bane examined me for a second, and for what it's worth, I couldn't read his expression to save my life. Then, unconcerned, he shrugged, "Same difference."

I wanted to say, _no_, it's not the same difference at all! Kidnapping and recruiting were two very different things! First off, you usually go off _willingly_ when being recruited –

My thoughts were interrupted as Rhino Man spoke again, "So, what do you think we'll make with a few extra dead Jedis?"

Bane smiled, reclining in the chair. "Enough to settle you for life. In fact, if this goes according to plan (which it will), I might think about retiring to a nice castle in Alderaan. Or perhaps Naboo…"

Alderaan? Naboo? What the heck were those? States? Countries? _Continents?_

Luke opened his mouth to object, or say something really nasty, but Bane held up his hand and growled, "Say another word, Skywalker, and you will meet the same fate as your predecessors." With that, he lifted his coat, revealing a row of silvery, cylindrical objects that strangely resembled ultra-thin flashlights. All had a different design, but they all looked to be the same thing. I had no idea what they were, as per usual.

Luke went pale, which meant those flashlights meant something significant, and probably nothing good, either. He ducked his head and didn't say another word.

Bane dropped his coat, "Much better."  
"I don't get it," I couldn't help myself – I _had_ to say something. I just couldn't hold it in. Besides, awkward silence was torture. "What are those things?"

Bane looked at me again, that same curious look in his eye. "Hmm. I'd at least think the Cursed One would know the basics."

Cursed One? Did he mean me? How the heck was I cursed?

(Then again, my luck hasn't been going great so far, so it kind of makes sense).

Unfortunately, while my blank stare was enough to let him know I _didn't_ know about the "basics," he didn't have enough time to tell me before the doors opened.

The first person to walk in was the guy from the hologram, followed by two other people I obviously did not recognize. The guy looked taller in real life, but I guess that's probably because the first time I saw him he was only eight inches high. He had red, slightly graying hair, and a beard. He reminded me of those monks you'd think of living in the mountains, only tough and really smart. Even now, as I watched him, I caught a twinkle in his eye. Maybe he had a sense of humor.

The robots on either side glanced at them, some just standing there stupidly, others turning back to their work. So they were sentient, if a little primitive. I never heard one of them speak, so I had to wonder what they were capable of.

"Ah," Bane rasped, holding out his arms like the man was a long lost friend. "Kenobi. How nice of you to join us."

"The pleasure is all mine," Kenobi said, although he didn't sound like it. I wondered if Kenobi was his first name or his last."I hope you kept your hostages comfortable."

Bane chuckled, tapping my cheek like I was a pet or something. Creeped out, I pulled away, but it was kind of difficult all tied up. I almost fell on my side. "Just be thankful they're alive, Jedi. I'm not usually so generous."

Oh, thankful. Yeah, thanks a lot for completely ruining my life, yet not giving me enough mercy to end it.

"But a deal's a deal, Jedi," Bane continued, raising a hand. Two goons came at me and Luke, each hefting us up, and none too kindly at that. My brain hurt, and it occurred to me that even though we were making for a trade, Bane was still going to kill them.

There were two more to come in after Kenobi, and neither of them made me feel hopeful for my future. One of was female, one was male, neither were human. The woman was blue-skinned, petite, and pretty, with tattoos on her face and wearing very elegant, if exotic, clothing. The other, a man much taller than her, was much more conservatively dressed – a simple pale robe, and his bright green skin was unmarked. No beard, no funky tattoos, not even an earring. He just looked…plain.

But the look in his eye, a cross between arrogance and command, told me he was no softy. No, he acted like he was in full command of the situation – even though he wasn't doing any of the talking.

"Give me the money, and you can have the children," Bane ordered. "And not a second sooner."

Kenobi raised an eyebrow. "I believe it would be more fair if we trade at the exact same time. Wouldn't you agree?"

I hoped this guy wasn't serious – the way Bane was acting, what he had planned for them, I didn't think he'd do anything he didn't want to do.

But Bane simply nodded and said, "Of course."

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who was surprised by his answer. Kenobi looked taken aback, as if he hadn't expected this to go as easy as he had hoped. Why was Bane being so agreeable?

But even as Green Man withdrew some sort of giant, clunky palm planner and started typing stuff on its green, glowing screen, I already saw the goons in the background slowly unsheathing their guns. Neither Blue Woman or Kenobi seemed to notice (Bane's men were standing behind them, after all), but my heart skipped a beat as Green Man stepped forward and handed Bane the Giant Palm Planner of Destiny.

But I couldn't help myself. Just as Green Man was about to rest it in Bane's hand, I shouted, "Don't! It's a trap!"

Pandemonium reigned supreme.

The first thing Bane did was whip out his gun and aim it at me. I screamed and fell backwards, doing an unintentional somersault as the bullet shot through the area I was just in before. My shoulder hit the ground hard as I fell off a step and I whapped my head against the rail of the balcony.

Meanwhile, as I struggled to regain my balance and some form of dignity, an all-out battle took place ten feet in front of me. Kenobi was the first to act, reaching to his belt and removing a cylindrical object not unlike those in Bane's coat and face the bounty hunter like he was actually going to fight him.

But that wasn't what freaked me out the most.

It was when Kenobi pressed a button, and _bright blue, glowing laser blade_ came out of it. _That's _when I started freaking out.

I stared, astounded, as Bane took one step back and appraised Kenobi as the shorter human brought the blade to his throat. The look of determination and calm on the man's face was almost as terrifying as the enraged grimace on Bane's.

"Now, now, Kenobi," Bane tisked, like the man was simply a naughty child. "That's no way to play. How will you protect your precious recruits with all your attention on me?"

I didn't know what to do as Fish Face and Rhino Man took out guns and aimed them as Kenobi's pals. While Green Man stood there, helpless without a weapon, Blue Woman surprised me by taking out a gun from underneath a layer of robes and aimed it at Rhino Man.

Green Man brought his wrist to his face and muttered something. Next thing I knew, the doors had opened and men in white armor and helmets filled the room, an assortment of guns raised and ready to fire.

Rhino Man, incapable of holding down any sense of reason, fired at Blue Woman.

She ducked, and fire broke out. Flashes of lights whizzed above my head as the soldiers battled with the bounty hunters, taking battle positions behind tables and computers, ducking down into the lower levels and duking it out there. I gasped as a beam of particle energy flashed by my face, burning the skin on my cheek. I rolled for all I was worth, hiding behind the throne seat as shots were fired all around me.

There was an inexplicably humming sound in the air, then another, and the sound of electronic static. Something clashing, banging together. It was hard to describe, except for the fact that I was completely petrified of the noise.

"Hey!" a voice said in my ear, and I jumped in surprise. "Come on!"

Luke had somehow gotten free and was kneeling beside me. He, however, wasn't at all terrified that there was a battle going out all around us. I guess when you're a Jedi (which is _what_, by the way?), a battle is just an boring hobby they did every other day.

He grabbed my arm and helped me up, but I was too scared to move. "Kaley, we have to _move_! Now!"

With that last word, the handcuffs on my wrist miraculously unlocked. I choked, shocked. What just happened? Did that just happen _by itself_?

I didn't have a chance to ask before Luke yanked me after him, pulling me to the door as we ran through the crossfire. Incredibly, nothing hit us as we made a dash for the exit. At the last second, I jumped over the dead body of Rhino Man (ugh!) and threw myself into the hall as the door slammed behind us.

"What now?" I panted, bent over at the knees. I wasn't so much exhausted from exertion as much as terror coursing through my veins.

"We get out," Luke looked around, alert, eyes wide. "Now."

_BOOM!_

The floor shook and I stumbled. Luke caught me before I fell, and I was about to thank him when the door burst open and Bane lunged at me like a bat out of hell.

I screamed and threw my fist, connecting with Bane's face. It was an extraordinarily lucky shot, but had the bounty hunter stunned for just a second. That second was all we needed.

Luke pulled me back, and I almost tripped over my own shoes to follow him. More people streamed out of the door, Blue Woman and Kenobi among them. I screeched as bolts ricocheted off the walls, missing me by inches. I felt one pierce a whole in my shirt collar, going out the other end and by happenstance, killed Fish Face. It had missed my own heart by inches.

There wasn't a lot a person can do when they're being pushed down a hall, ducking shots and trying not to get killed or trampled, like I was. I didn't know what the big deal was about them trying to protect me (although I wasn't complaining so long as I didn't get hurt...or, you know, _die_). It was bad enough there were guns, but the fact that the bullets had over 6000 watts powered into them, and burned giant holes into the walls. I was very afraid of what they would do to me.

The battle seemed to last forever. Somehow, we managed to stay ahead of the pack, sometimes by just a few feet, dodging into different halls and going places I never thought existed. At one point, we descended through an elevator, and that was the most uneventful twenty seconds of my life. But as soon as we got out and headed down a different hallway, this time lined with circular doorways. Bane was quick to follow. I guess he wasn't going to lose the biggest cash-in of his life.

Interestingly enough, the first thing I realized things had gone wrong was when somebody (Bane) shoved me into this really tiny capsule. At first, I wondered if I had stumbled into some sort of time machine, but that didn't seem probable. The capsule itself was circular, with a curving floor and roof, and the cockpit was little more than a seat and control panel at the other end of the thing. At most, you could fit about half dozen decent sized people in here. On the sides were benches and harnesses to strap yourself in. I would've been less afraid if there also weren't gas masks alongside them.

Then, Luke fell in, and the door slammed shut.

I gawked, startled, as I heard the lock and whoosh of air as the capsule was sealed shut. We were trapped inside, with limited oxygen, and completely vulnerable to whatever came next.

"No!" Luke slammed his fist into the glass window in the center of the door, but you could barely see anything out of it. The view inside was chaos, a whirl of colorful blades and gunshots, and for a moment, I felt strangely safe in here.

"What's going on?" I demanded, terrified. I was grasping a pole sticking out of the floor – I guess it was some sort of support – holding on so hard that my knuckles were turning white. "Why are we in here?"

"He locked us inside," Luke grunted, slamming his shoulder into the door, but it wouldn't budge no matter what he did. "For safe-keeping."

"Well, use your sword thingy and get us out of here!"

"First of all," he scowled at me. "It's called a _lightsaber_, not a 'sword thingy.' Second of all, I can't do that so long as both of us are inside. He could launch this thing at any second, and if this thing isn't securely pressurized then both of us -"

"Will die," I finished for him, rolling my eyes. "Yeah, I can figure out that much. But if he _does_ launch us, where will we go?"

"Probably to the nearest planet," Luke shrugged, peering out the window as the fighting continued. "Or to his ship, if it's still out there. It's probably waiting for us, right now."

"What the heck do they want with us?" I asked, my knees wobbling. I wasn't sure if I could take this anymore. Getting kidnapped, taken hostage, having a gun pointed at me a hundred million times, being in the middle of a gunfight, and now about to be captured again? Geez, I knew this Thanksgiving was going to suck, but this was definitely not what I had in mind for the holiday season!

Luke didn't say anything, which only made me more scared and angry. Why won't anyone give me a straight answer? Is it too much to ask? I just wanted to know why my life is in constant danger!

"Well?" I demanded, in no mood to compromise.

Luke gave me another irritated look and was about to open his mouth to snap at me, but there came an awful jerk and blast as the capsule launched into space.

I was nearly thrown off my seat. I cried out, clinging to the pole for dear life. Luke wasn't so lucky. Since he had been leaning against the door, there wasn't a lot to prevent the force of the launch to smack him against it. Then Luke fell to the floor, looking a little dazed, as we flew uncontrolled into the black abyss that was, ultimately, space.  
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygodwe'regonnadie!" I blubbered, trying not to cry. If there was one thing scarier than being at the wrong end of a gun, it was floating aimlessly in space, with no way to control the ship and no idea what's going to happen to you.  
"Calm down!" Luke commanded, and for a second I was stunned into silence as he managed to get up and get to the control panel. Pressing and turning a series of knobs and buttons, I watched in amazement as the computers came to life and a dim light turned on inside the cabin. I relaxed, just a little bit. "I got it under control."  
My breath came out in a whoosh as the capsule turned when he moved the throttle. Okay, so we weren't floating aimlessly in space anymore. We were _flying_ aimlessly in space, with some crazy guy at the controls. I didn't know if I should be more worried or not.  
"Where are we going?" I managed to utter, my voice sounding terribly high-pitched.  
"With any luck," he muttered, concentrating rather hard on the steering. "A life-supporting planet. We'll be alright as long as they don't try to shoot us down. Which they probably won't, by the way. Not with you inside."  
"Oh. Okay." I whispered. My brain was all foggy and confused, through a combination of the jerky steering of the capsule and the whole crapload of spectacular events that occurred to me in a matter of hours (or was it days? Oh, what did it matter – I was still feeling a little sick). And my presence, the one thing that could prevent us from being blown into oblivion? Yeah, that's a nice, heavy burden to carry on your shoulders. No sweat.

"Damn it!" Luke slammed his fist on the controls. "He already preset the coordinates to a hostile planet. I can't override the system!"

"Which probably means," I said slowly, wishing I was some sort of computer genius who had the ability to hack into computers, alien or not. "We're doomed."

"Of all the things I had to do," Luke dropped his head on the control panel, grimacing. "I thought getting you was going to be the easiest thing on the list."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, offended. I didn't know if he was talking about me or the actual mission.

"It _means_," he growled, not looking at me. "That our little adventure isn't over yet."

"Oh, come on!" I complained, still clinging to the pole. I hadn't yet been able to unlatch my own fingers. "I just want to go home! This is so not fair!"

"Will you just be quiet?" Luke snapped, glaring at me. "You're not helping at all!"  
I immediately silenced, and it got really quiet in there. I was too wiped to do anything, much less talk, and Luke was pretty occupied with trying to regain control of the pod. Things beeped and hummed, and half the time I didn't know what meant what, so I just had to trust that Luke knew what he was doing. Which wasn't an easy thing to do, mind you.  
I might have dozed off, or fainted, because not only did I not remember anything when I came back to the real world, I also didn't remember the big planetscape outside the window being there the last time I looked.  
It was kind of beautiful and intimidating at the same time. It was blue and green, kind of like Earth, only I spotted several more moons, and the colors were way too vibrant. Like, neon green and turquoise, Mediterranean blue and ruby red. The planet looked almost tropical, even from way out here.  
"Whoa," I stared, awed. "Where are we?"  
"Dunno." Luke shrugged, which kind of made me wonder why I ever thought I could trust him in the first place. "Probably Typhon, but I can't be sure. From the looks of it, we'll be okay on land. I guess it could be worse."

"Whoa, what's worse?" I demanded, alarmed. What could be worse than ending up alone, fending for yourself on an uncivilized planet? "How could this possibly be worse?"

"Well, first off," Luke seemed irritated that I wasn't smart enough to figure it out. "We could've landed on a planet taken over by the guys who want to kill us. Secondly, not all planets are habitable by humans. We're lucky we even found a planet with oxygen to breath."

"Oh, yeah," I rolled my eyes. "_Soo_ lucky."

"Is there a problem?" he demanded, irritated.

"You have to ask?"

"Oh, never mind."

A silence filled the space, and I was starting to feel a little self-conscious. Should I keep talking? Should I try to find some decent answers? Or how about a way home? Even Grandma was better than this. _Anything_ was better than being here.

"Okay," I said, taking a deep breath. "Before I got nuts – do you know what you're doing? Or what you're going to do? Like a plan? Because being inside this thing doesn't exactly incite a feeling of safety to me."

"Well..." Luke drew out the word uncertainly, and my heart dropped. I was socially adept enough to know different speech patterns, and this was one I knew well. Mostly because I used it myself, but that's beside the point. "I wouldn't say a plan so much as an _guideline_, per se."

"In other words, you've got no clue?"

Luke shot me a venemous look. "Could you at least _act_ positive?"

"Well, I _am_ talking. Trust me, you will know I'm not okay when I stop talking."

"Can you stop now?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but at the last moment I caught the mockery in his voice, and I clamped shut, scowling. Why did _he_ have to be the annoying one? Come on, I can't help it! Talking makes me feel better.

I wanted to think of something clever or smart as a comeback, but my brain was too traumatized after the hostage crisis. I'd rather have a nice hot bath and a book, thank you. But that obviously wasn't going to happen, and if I wasn't mistaken, it won't be anytime soon.

Suddenly, a loud beeping filled the room. A red light was flashing, and I had no idea what it meant. As usual, I was terrified. All freaking over again.

"What's that?"

Luke frowned, pressing a bunch of buttons. Words appeared on a screen, but they were from a completely different language, and one I've never before seen. Not that I was surprised, but it was kind of frustrating that I could read English, but it was completely moot out here in the wilderness of space. All that school for nothing! And they say its preparation for what life has in store for you! Yeah, right! "I don't know. Some sort of spacecraft. But I don't see anything –"

He didn't even get to finish his sentence before the whole world went black.


	6. I Am Not A Happy Camper

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School has been hell. I had this mostly finished, I just had to end the chapter. The next one is in production. And juggling three stories isn't easy, by the way.**

**I'd put a disclaimer here, but I know I don't have to.**

* * *

**6**

**I Am Not a Happy Camper**

When I woke up, I was definitely not in the escape pod anymore.

First of all, it was bright. So bright that I couldn't see when I woke up, because I was immediately blinded by the sun. Or, should I say, _suns_.

After I got over the initial shock of still being alive, I realized there were three different suns in the sky. One was at noon, another at sun set, and the last somewhere in the south, going in an unspecified direction. It made no sense, and I obviously couldn't tell which way the planet rotated, but whatever.

The next thing I noticed was that I was in some sort of jungle. The leaves were dark green, forming a formidable canopy hundreds of feet above my head. The tree trunks were enormous, some almost ten feet in diameter, some even greater. Thinner plants, like overgrown weeds, shot above my head. For a second, I thought I had shrunk, but the grass beneath me was normal-sized. So were the rocks. I had just been transported to the Jurassic period. No biggie.

Okay. I take that back. The sounds in the jungle were frightening enough to make a grown man faint, never mind a teenage girl. There were screeches, roars, and ferocious cries that shook the ground and made the trees sway. I gulped. I hoped to never come across the beasts in these woods.

The third thing I realized didn't make me feel much better. I had went to scratch my wrist, and found something was blocking my way.

I stared at the metal shackle encasing my wrist, skin tight. It was bulky and composed of many parts, none of which I understood. There were no words, no symbols on it. No clear company markings.  
I tried to get it off, but it was stuck tight.

What _is_this thing? I thought incredulously. Is it a tracker? Did Luke put this on me? Speaking of which, where is that little bugger? I wanted to give him a piece of my mind.

I looked around, but I didn't see him anywhere. I had been lying on my back, unconscious only minutes before. Luke might be out there somewhere, dead to the world and completely vulnerable.  
I sighed. I guessed I had to find him.

I got up, shaky on my legs. I guess I wasn't used to planetary gravity. I also hadn't eaten anything for who knows how long, and I was starving.

I had made it half-way across the clearing when I heard a low growl behind me.

I whipped around, startled, but nothing was there. The clearing was empty except for myself.

I blinked, a little disconcerted. What was _that_all about?

Shaking off the prickly feeling crawling up my spine, I turned around and got to the edge of the woods. The brush was seriously thick, and there was no way I was going to risk it. So, summing up the power vested in my lungs, I called out, "Luke!"

Nothing.

_Come on, Moron_, I thought angrily. _Wake up and find me_! "Luke!"

That time, I got something between a strangled cry and and the sound of an elephant tumbling head-over-heels down a steep hill.

There was a loud crash as the clumsy thing hit bottom. A second of silence. I waited, then yelled, "Luke?"

"Kaley?" I heard his voice, surprisingly close. "Kaley!"

"Yo! I'm over here!"

A lot more noises, feet crunching over dead leaves and sticks, and a loud thump and a colorful round of swearing. Then, Luke burst out of the brush and into the clearing, looking severely disheveled and borderline crazy. He didn't look like he was in a good mood, but seemed relieved to know that I was alright.

"What happened back there?" I asked, hoping he'd know the answers and might be kind enough to tell me. "How did we get on this...land...planet...Typhon? Please tell me I was the only one who woke up in the middle of the woods, no idea where I was."

"Sorry. So was I." Luke winced. "Wait – where'd you get that?"

He pointed, and I glanced at my wrist. "Actually, I was hoping you'd tell me. What's – uh...are you okay?"

I noticed he was no longer looking at me. His eyes had gone wide, looking seriously alarmed. He didn't move an inch.

At first, I wondered if he had been paralyzed by, like, a snake bite or something, and I was just about to ask when he hissed. "Don't move. Don't look behind you."

But of course I did. Hadn't he figured out already that I was a bad listener?

The thing that was behind me was the most terrifying sight I ever laid my eyes upon. The closest thing I could say it looked like was a genetic experiment between a bull and a rhino gone horribly wrong.

The thing snorted and hugged, tossing its horned head, a giant tusk protruding from its forehead. It seemed offended that I turned to look at it, and I was starting to regret my impulsiveness. Its hide was a mottled brown-green, which was probably why I hadn't noticed it before. It was almost camouflaged with the backdrop, and it looked ready to pound me into the dirt.

My jaw dropped, and I was about to scream when Luke's hand gripped my wrist firmly, sending a shock up my arm. It was so surprising that my voice box failed me. How did he do that?

"Don't scream," He whispered. "You'll scare it."

"_Scare_ it?" I hissed incredulously, terrified. "He's the one scaring _me_!"

"Just move slowly. Come on."

Unfortunately, the thing wasn't as stupid as I hoped it would've been. We made it about a couple yards before it roared and charged. At the sight of a six ton beast steam-rolling towards us at the speed of a freight train, I screamed. Luke shoved me, throwing me out of the way. There was a huge blast of wind as the Rhino-Bull blazed pass, shaking its head with rage as it missed its targets.  
I scrambled up and ran for the edge of the woods, but my foot caught on a root sticking up from the ground, and I face-planted into the dirt.

I rolled onto my back. The Rhino-Bull had decided I was more dangerous than some Jedi who could use a freaking lightsaber. Oh, yeah. Attack the one who's unarmed. I'm _so_ _scary_!  
"What is this thing?" I cried, staring at the beast. What was it waiting for?

Luke was edging around it, going along in the beast's blind spot. As soon as he was a fair distance away, he called, "A Horned Lummox! They're blind, but they have excellent hearing. He can follow you by the vibrations in the ground."

"Well, why is it following _me_?"

"Uh, I don't know," he shrugged helplessly. "You smell good?"

"Gee, thanks!" I gasped as the stupid Lummox thing came charging again. Stunned by fear, I didn't know what else to do but curl up into a ball and hope that if it stomped on me, the pain of death would be short.

By absolute miracle, the beast missed me. Its feet avoided my head by millimeters – I actually felt its rough skin against my face as it went by – the heavy thumping of its feet shaking me so hard it was all I could do to keep myself curled in a fetal position. When it stormed past, I shot up, totally alive and filled with adrenaline, and ran like my life depended on it.

The nearest thing that I ran into was a tree. My hands reached out and grasped the deep groves and hauled myself up. It was surprisingly easy, but with the branches too far up to reach, I'd only be able to hold myself up for so long. Scrambling up like a monkey on steroids, I managed to travel roughly twenty feet before I decided that I was too scared to go any further.

"_What are you doing_?" I yelled over my shoulder, clinging to the tree for dear life. Luke was looking up at me, a curious look on his face. "Use your stupid sword and kill that thing!"

But Luke shook his head. "I don't have it!"

"What?"

"Bane still has it!"

"You mean you _lied_?" I could believe it. The whole ordeal in the escape pod – he didn't try to get out because he was afraid we'd die. It was because he didn't have it! The stupid moron just didn't want to admit he lost it!

I was furious beyond words. I was going to die – again – because he was too proud to admit that he didn't have his weapon, the single thing he could actually use to defend us. So not only was I completely useless in a fight, but so was the only guy that could possibly save me.

Yeah. Right.

The Lummox came to a halt and did a 180 degree turn, churning up dirt as its feet skidded for grip. Luke was buried in a flying mound of clay as the Lummox charged. While the sight of his shocked face would've knocked me over laughing, I was so terrified by the oncoming beast that I screamed a maniacal laugh. I sounded like a madwoman.

WHUMPH-CRUNCH!

The entire tree shook as the stupid Lummox thing rammed straight into the trunk. It must've aimed wrong, and now its horn was buried deep into the trunk. It roared and grunted and struggled, but it couldn't get its horn free.

Upon impact, my grip had slipped. I toppled, sliding down the trunk, across the Lummox's head, rolled across its shoulders, and came to a stop on its rump. It bucked, and I was sent flying off. I landed in the dirt pile, just as Luke was coming out. I didn't feel too back about landing on top of him.

"Gerroff me!" Luke grunted, pushing me off and wiping the dirt off his dark tunic. "Watch it next time!"

"Watch it?" I turned on him. My initial surprise has reverted back to the previous frustration, then straight on to fury. "_Watch it_? Is that all you've got? Hello, I'm not the one who got us into this mess! It's all your fault I'm here!"

"Well, it's too late now," he glared at me. "Come on – The escape pod down to the east. We can contact help from there."

"Good," I scowled, crossing my arms and following him as we delved into the forest. "Then I can go home."  
Luke didn't say anything to that.

His lack of response didn't bother me at first – mostly, I was just angry, and I wanted to stew in that little pot for a while. But the silence was starting to get to me, and the fact that I was getting no answers was eating away at my brain. I had to find out. I had to say something.

"I _am_ going home, right?" I asked uncertainly, a while later. We were struggling up a steep hill, using tree roots the size of SUVs to help us up. I was already exhausted from the effort, but Luke looked only a little tired.

He didn't say anything, just hauled himself up over a ridge.

"Well?" I demanded testily as he grabbed my arms and pulled me up. "Am I?"

Luke paused, looking me dead in the face. His expression didn't exactly make me feel hopeful. What he said next made it worse.

"I don't know."

Luke moved on.

I frowned, following him. Climbing over a big boulder blocking our way, we came up onto a smooth stretch of land, expanding for quite a while. There were less bushes and plants here – the land around the trees was relatively clear and clean. At least we'd be able to walk without too much in the way of obstacles, even though the escape pod was nowhere in sight.

"Is that an 'I don't know if I'm going home' I don't know," I pondered, pulling off my shoe and shaking some dirt and twigs from the inside. "Or an 'I don't know if we're even going to make it off this planet alive' I don't know?"

Luke sighed, pausing by a protruding root. He leaned against it, not looking at me. "Both?"

"Okay then," I gulped, swallowing the rising sense of panic. Keep it together, Kaley. Keep it together. "I get why we might not make it off this planet alive – that's a given. But, uh, is that also the reason why you don't think I'll ever go home?"

A pause.

"No."

It was as if my heart fell through my ribcage. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Look, can we just keep going?" Luke asked sharply, staring at the ground. If looks could kill, he'd be starting a wild fire. He got off the root and started walking again, this time at a brisk pace. It was almost as if he wanted to get away from me. "Stopping to ask questions isn't going get us there any faster."

"Well, _duh_," I rolled my eyes, scampering to catch up with him. "But if it was such a long way to go, how'd you find it?"

Luke gave me a weird look, "Where do you think? I woke up inside of it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, _really_," he mocked my tone, which didn't make me like him anymore than I already did. "But, of course, _you_ had to wander off and make my job just a little more difficult."

"Wander off?" I snapped, bewildered. "I didn't _wander off_. I told you – I woke up in the middle of the wood. I thought the same thing happened to you!"

Luke didn't say anything, but his cheeks did get a little bit pink.

"Oh, come on!" I groaned, slapping my forehead. "Don't tell me you thought I was stupid enough to just go off on my own? Hello! I've went camping before – I _know_ what to do and what _not_ to do. What do I look to you, an idiot? Just because I'm not a _Jedi_ doesn't mean I can't do anything right. What the heck _is_ a Jedi, anyways?"

"We're guardians of the peace, and protectors of justice," He said it as if rehearsed, something he heard often. "We're knights, I guess you could say."

"Knights?" I don't know why, but for some reason I just gained a whole lot of respect for Luke. It was kind of hard to explain, since I still sort of didn't like him, but so cool all the same. "That is so awesome! What do you do? What is it like? Is it tough?"

It was so exciting!

Luke seemed a little flustered with all the questions I was throwing at him, rapid-fire. He struggled to keep up with the answers. "Well, we protect people. We help with negotiations between planets. We fight if we have to. It's not easy, and usually pretty dangerous, but at least it's interesting."

"What's a Padawan?" I kept going with the questions, psyched that I was finally getting some answers. What does it take to get people to talk around here? A fan club? "I heard Bane call you that, but what's the difference between that and a Jedi?"

"It's not really a difference," he shrugged, kicking a pebble and sending it soaring into the air and out of sight. "A Padawan is an apprentice Jedi – the status before knighthood. Every Padawan has their own master, who teaches them the ways of the Force."

"The Force?" I asked, wondering if I should be awed by the sound of that. It was simple word, yet Luke spoke of it with reverence. "What's that?"

"It's an energy force," Luke explained. Why won't he look at me? Do I have something on my face? "Well, _the_energy force. It's in all of us – in you, in me – around us, everywhere. It's what gives a Jedi his power."

"Oh," I still didn't quite understand. The Force? Really? How did they use it? And what did they use it for? But before I could even ask those questions, Luke had raced forward, jumping down a ridge between two giant trees and disappearing from view. "Hey, wait! I wasn't done yet!"

I stumbled after him, so surprised I tripped on air, and tumbled head-over-heels down the slope, flopping ungracefully at the bottom, my legs and arms all over the place. I looked up, and for a single moment, I was stunned into silence.

I was in a small clearing. Sunlight was beaming through a ragged hole in the canopy. On the ground ahead of me was the escape pod, so bashed I almost didn't recognize it. There were bunch of dents in it, and the front end had impaled itself six feet deep into the dirt. The door was nowhere to be found, and the ground around it was blacked with soot.

"Whoa," I stared, amazed. "We landed in _that_? And we're still alive?"

"It's made for survival," Luke was climbing into the hatch, his voice turning echoey in the space. "Not for comfort."

"What're you doing?" I got up and went after him, brushing off dirt and shaking my head. Rocks and pebbles flew from my hat. My hands were a little scratched, and there was dirt under my nails (nasty!), and my knees were pretty beat up, but overall, I was doing okay. The thing on my wrist didn't have a scratch on it. Huh.

"Trying to get a transmission going," I heard him say. "But the battery's shot and the wiring is completely fried. I might be able to fix it, but –"

Luke didn't finish.

I swallowed, "But what?"

"We'll have to go exploring for a bit," he poked his head out, looking at me. Luke's expression was pained, as if going for a hike in a rain-forest was more of a nuisance than anything else. "Find some help, maybe. If we find a town, we might be able to get a lift home."

I made a face, scrunching up my nose in confusion. "My home or your home?"

Luke shrugged, and that old headache was back. "Whichever's closer."

"Any idea of how long we'll be here?"

Luke bit his lip, which might have been the first sure sign of him being uncertain. "I don't know."

"Can you at least give me an estimate? I like to have something to measure by." I raised an eyebrow. "If that isn't too much to ask for."

Luke threw me a sour look, then ducked back down into the hull. "A few days, at least, so I can try to fix this."

"Can I help?" I asked, trying to peek into the hull, standing on my tiptoes. But the rim was too high. I felt like a little kid trying to reach the cookie jar on the counter.

"You? Help?" Luke came out again, looking at me like I was crazy. Almost as if he was about to laugh at the very thought of it.

"Yeah, _help_," I narrowed my eyes. What is up with this guy? Does everyone here think I'm too stupid to do something around here? "Because I'm bored and I _know_you don't want to hear me complain for an hour."

Luke sighed and tossed me a heavy sack made of rough material. "That's the survival kit. Food, first aid, fire, tent. It should last us a while."

"Whoa," I grunted, trying not to fall under the great weight. I stumbled, my back hitting a tree. I struggled to support the bag. "What do you got in here, a whole house?"  
Luke snorted, going back to work in the escape pod. "I wish."

Setting up camp in a rainforest on a foreign planet was a lot like the same activity back on Earth, only the technology was way more impressive.

The area around the escape pod was relatively clean. There weren't a lot of plants, and the pod's landing scorched away whatever grass there was left. We were surrounded by some honking big trees, in a sort of wonky horseshoe shape.

It was a pretty safe place to stay, and I was kind of glad the escape pod had landed here instead of, I don't know, into a _tree_.

It was such a tough thing to comprehend – landing in the middle of the woods, far from help or civilization, probably going to have to survive by our wits soon. It was like I was in an episode of _Lost_, only less island and more space.

I couldn't believe how huge the tent was. I knew the pod could hold at least 8 people, but the tent seemed to have the same thing in mind. It took me a while to figure out which piece went where, and even longer to tie down the fabric so it fit on right. I tried to refer to the instructions but they didn't make a lot of sense when I couldn't read worth jack.

When I was done with the tent, which looked a little lopsided but otherwise stable, it looked like a Red Cross refuge shelter. All there was to sleep on were some thin sleeping bags that were probably more like blankets than anything else. There were some ice-pack sized pillows, like whoever stuffed this place thought we were trained by the Army, not some kids marooned on a planet.

I kicked the sleeping bag rolls into the tent; we wouldn't be using them for a while.

The next thing I had to do was make a fire and find some food. Okay, so I've never exactly went on a camping trip to the Amazon before, but I was smart enough to know that things tended to get cold at night, and I was getting hungry, and there was no way I was taking that chance. Besides, what if there were giant killer mutated space-mosquitos out here? This was a matter of life and death!

On the other hand, I _had_ been on some not uninteresting camping trips with my extended family before, and I was well-acquainted with all the bears and fire hazards that could be found in the New England wilderness. And trust me, there are _a lot_.

Of bears, I mean.

It took some serious scavenging to find some decent-sized rocks to make a fire pit with. I had to wander away from the campsite slash escape pod landing pad, which didn't bother me so much. I figured as long as I remained within screaming distance, I'd be fine.

When I was done, I felt completely wiped. I guess you can say that after all that happened, after all the fear and the running and the fighting and the finding, I went into a belated state of shock. I sat there, in front of the kindling fire, just staring into the heat.

I didn't know what I should've been feeling right then. Nothing – well, okay, very little – made sense. Why was I wanted by the so-called Jedi? And for the same reason, those bounty hunters? Their client(s)? And where the hell were we?

"Nice fire," said Luke, dropping out of the pod and landing beside the fire, on the other side. "How'd you start it?"

I shrugged. "I found some weird stuff in your bag. I used it to light a fire."

Luke was alarmed, "_You went through my stuff?_"

"Uh – you kidnapped me."

"I didn't _kidnap_ you."

"Well, you sure as hell didn't ask for my opinion, either."

"_Bane_ was the one who captured us."

"You still wouldn't have asked for my opinion."

Luke scowled but didn't reply immediately. After a moment, he glanced down and muttered, "I guess not."

"What, did you think I was going to _like_ being taken away from my home? That some intergalactic alien things wanted to sell me? I mean, I don't even know what _this_ thing is –" I jabbed at the manacle on my wrist for emphasis "– and people want to kill me!"

Luke sighed, and almost rolled his eyes. He managed to restrain himself, though, and I was impressed. I roll my eyes _whenever_, and there's no stopping me when I do (I happen to get irritated a lot). "No one wants to kill you, Kaley."

"They certainly don't mind beating me up a little."

"Do you have to argue about everything?"

"Do you have anything to eat?"

Luke was flabbergasted by my unexpected question. He clearly didn't think the argument was going in this direction. It wasn't completely intentional on my part – my brain happened to be hardwired to my most basic needs, and right now, I was really hungry.

"Uh…" he shook his head, trying to get around the sudden change in topic. "Yeah. At least, I think so." He got up and looked into the bag that contained all the camping stuff. Out he withdrew a couple thin boxes – I had noticed them before, but decided to leave them alone when I couldn't figure out to open them – and slid his fingers along the sides. There was a tiny _shing!_ And the lids popped.

He handed me one. "Dinner is served."

Alright, I'll admit it. I was underwhelmed by the food that was offered to me. I didn't know what any of it was and none of it looked appetizing. Actually, it kind of reminded me of those space food samples you find in museums. Dry, crumply, dehydrated. I don't know _why_, especially since these people have definitely mastered artificial gravity, but whatever. Maybe it was to ease up on weight.

Since I didn't have much of a menu, I decided to eat what I could and save the rest for later. On the bright side, there was a container that was definitely filled with water, which was the only thing I recognized.

I mostly ignored the taste because at least I had something to eat. I don't know why, but it made me feel kind of guilty. Like, kids my age in third world countries probably had it even worse, and here I was, complaining about things like this. At least I had something to sleep on and technology to use.

But this still sucked, either way.


End file.
